Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a series of measures aimed at strengthening relations with Poland, including opening Ukrainian security service archives related to the Volyn tragedy and expanding permits for search and exhumation work.
Following a meeting on Ukraine's policy toward Poland, Zelensky said Ukraine would grant access to archives held by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Foreign Intelligence Service covering the tragic events in Volyn during the 20th century.
"We will open all archives of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Foreign Intelligence Service concerning the tragic events in Volyn," Zelensky said.
He added that Ukraine and Poland would also work to increase the capacity for joint search and exhumation efforts, while pursuing new diplomatic initiatives and expanding dialogue between the two societies.
Zelensky said he had also tasked the head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, Oleksandr Alfyorov, with preparing proposals to strengthen the institution. The government and parliament are expected to consider increasing its funding and resources.
The announcement comes as Ukraine and Poland step up efforts to address historical disputes. Earlier this month, exhumation work began at the former villages of Ostrivky and Volia Ostrovetska in Volyn, where investigators previously discovered a mass burial site during a search expedition.
Ukraine is also advancing broader initiatives to preserve historical memory, including plans to rebury Yevhen Konovalets and establish a National Pantheon for prominent figures in Ukrainian history.
